Outdoor unit of air conditioner

ABSTRACT

An outdoor unit of an air conditioner is provided. The outdoor unit includes a base assembly defining a lower exterior of the outdoor unit and supporting a plurality of components and an accumulator that is installed above the base assembly to filter off liquefied refrigerant from refrigerant entering a compressor. The accumulator includes a mounting unit enabling at least one of other components to be mounted on the accumulator.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No.10-2007-0093334, filed Sep. 13, 2007, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to an outdoor unit of an air conditioner,which has an accumulator provided with a mounting unit to which avariety of other components can be coupled.

In general, an air conditioner is a cooling/heating system that cools anindoor environment by continually performing a cycle of suctioning warmair from the indoor environment, performing heat exchange between theair and cold refrigerant, and expelling the cooled air back into theindoor environment. For heating, reverse conditions are employed to heatthe indoor environment. The air conditioner defines a series of cyclesusing a compressor, condenser, expansion valve, and evaporator.

The typical air conditioners may be divided largely into split type airconditioners with outdoor and indoor units that are installed separatelyfrom each other, and integrated type conditioners with the outdoor andindoor units that are integrally installed with each other.

A relatively recent phenomenon is the widespread use of multi-unit airconditioners that are effectively applied in households wanting toinstall two or more air conditioners, and in buildings with multipleoffices that require respective air conditioners. The multi-unit airconditioner connects one outdoor unit to a plurality of indoor units toachieve the same effect as a case where a plurality of the split typeair conditioners are installed.

Meanwhile, a variety of components such as an accumulator and a supercooler in addition to the compressor are installed in the airconditioner. Such components are generally mounted on a base assemblydefining a lower exterior of the outdoor unit.

However, since the components are independently installed on the baseassembly, an area of the base assembly is unnecessarily enlarged andthus an overall size of the produce increases.

SUMMARY

Embodiments provide an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, which has anaccumulator on which a variety of components can be detachably mounted.

In an embodiment, an outdoor unit of an air conditioner includes a baseassembly defining a lower exterior of the outdoor unit and supporting aplurality of components; and an accumulator that is installed above thebase assembly to filter off liquefied refrigerant from refrigerantentering a compressor, wherein the accumulator comprises a mounting unitenabling at least one of other components to be mounted on theaccumulator.

According to the embodiment, the mounting unit is provided on a surfaceof the accumulator. Therefore, a component such as a super cooler can bemounted on the accumulator by the mounting unit, an overall size of theair conditioner can be reduced.

That is, since at least one of a variety of components installed on thebase assembly is installed on the accumulator, an internal space of theoutdoor unit and the base assembly can be downsized.

In addition, the mounting unit provided on the accumulator is designedsuch that an end of the component can be hooked on the accumulator.Therefore, since a screw-coupling work can be conveniently performed ina state where the end of the component is hooked on the accumulator, theworking efficiency can be improved.

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent fromthe description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outdoor unit according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the outdoor unit of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view illustrating an installed state ofan accumulator depicted in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a coupling state ofa super cooler and an accumulator that are depicted in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outdoor unit according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 1exemplarily shows a type of outdoor unit for an air conditioner thatdischarges air upwards.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outdoor unit 10 is formed in a box shape andconnected through pipes to a plurality of indoor units (not shown).Refrigerant flows between the outdoor and indoor units.

The outdoor unit 10 includes a base assembly 100 defining a lowerexterior and a cabinet 200 defining an upper exterior. That is, thecabinet 200 is disposed on the base assembly 100. The outdoor unit 10further includes an outlet grills G having an octagonal shape (whenviewed from a top) and protruding upward from a top surface of thecabinet 200. The air is discharged out of the outdoor unit 10 throughthe outlet grills G.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the outdoor unit 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cabinet 200 is formed with a plurality panels.In more detail, the cabinet 200 includes a pair of front panels 210 and212 that are provided at a front end of the base assembly 100 to definea front exterior of the outdoor unit. That is, the front panels 210 and212 are respectively installed on left and right sides at the front endof the base assembly 100. A front center frame 220 is verticallyelongated between the front panels 210 and 212.

The cabinet 200 further includes a pair of front upper panels 230 and232 provided above the respective front panels 210 and 212. The frontupper panels 230 and 232 define a front upper exterior of the outdoorunit and are installed at the left and right above the respective panels210 and 212, respectively. A front upper frame 240 is further providedbetween the front upper panels 230 and 232. The front upper frame 240 isshaped correspondingly to the front center frame 220 to support the pairof front upper panels 230 and 232.

A left panel 250 and a right panel 260 are respectively provided at theleft and right ends of the base assembly 100, defining left and rightexternal facets of the outdoor unit. Also, a left grill 252 isintegrally formed with the left panel 250, and a right grill 262 isintegrally formed with the left panel 260. Thus, external air is able toenter the outdoor unit 10 through the left and right grills 252 and 262.

A pair of rear grills 270 is provided at an upper rear end of the baseassembly 100. The rear grills 270 define the rear exterior surface, andthe external air also enters the outdoor unit 10 through the rear grills270.

A rear center frame (not shown) corresponding to the front center frame220 is further provided at a central portion of the rear grills 270 tosupport the pair of rear grills 270.

A pair of top panels 280 and 282 is provided between top ends of theleft and right panels 250 and 260 to define the top exterior of theoutdoor unit. That is, the external top surface of the outdoor unit 10is defined by the rectangular left top panel 280 and right top panel282. An outlet 284 is defined vertically through each of the pair of toppanels 280 and 282.

Also, outlet grills G are installed on the outlets 284. The outletgrills G prevent impurities from the outside from entering through theoutlets 284, and also allow the air to be discharged upwards out of theoutdoor unit.

A pair of rear upper panels 290 and 292 is further provided at the topof the pair of rear grills 270. The rear upper panels 290 and 292 definethe rear upper exterior of the outdoor unit, and are formed to have ashape corresponding to the front upper panels 230 and 232.

Accordingly, the rear upper panels 290 and 292 are respectively disposedat left and right sides, and a rear upper frame 294 is further providedbetween the rear upper panels 290 and 292. The rear upper frame 294 isformed in a shape corresponding to the front upper frame 240, andsupports the pair of rear upper panels 290 and 292.

A frame assembly 300 is provided within the cabinet 200. The frameassembly 300 is installed on upper ends of the front panels 210 and 212to support shrouds 420 and 422, a blower fan 400, and other components,which will be described below.

A pair of blower fan 400 and a fan motor 410 are installed at the top ofthe frame assembly 300. The pair of blower fans 400 is enclosed by apair of shrouds 420 and 422. That is, the shrouds 420 and 422 having thesame shape are installed on left and right sides at the top of the frameassembly 300, and the blower fan 400 is disposed to the inside of thepair of shrouds 420 and 422.

A heat exchanger 450 is installed within the cavity 200. The heatexchanger 450 functions to exchange heat between refrigerant flowingtherein and air from the outside, and is installed on the upper leftend, rear end, and right end of the base assembly 100. That is, the heatexchanger 450 is formed in a ‘∩’ shape as shown (when viewed fromabove).

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view illustrating an installed state ofa component on the base assembly 100.

As shown in FIG. 3, a compressor 460 for compressing refrigerant isinstalled on the base assembly 100 and an accumulator 470 for filteringliquefied refrigerant from the refrigerant flowing toward the compressor460 is installed beside the compressor 460 on the base assembly 100.

A super cooler 480 is fixedly coupled to a surface of the accumulator470. The super cooler 480 serves to further cool the refrigerant that iscooled as it passes through the heat exchanger 450. For example, a plateheat exchanger may be used as the super cooler 480.

The plate heat exchanger includes a plurality of thin plates that arespaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals to define spacesalong which the refrigerant and cooling water flow. Refrigerant flowsthrough each of the spaces defined between the plurality of thin platesto perform heat exchange.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the accumulator 470 and thesuper cooler 480.

Referring to FIG. 4, the accumulator 470 includes a main body 472defining a refrigerant receiving chamber and inlet and outlet pipes 474and 476 that communicate with the refrigerant receiving chamber definedby the main body 472 to guide the flow of the refrigerant into or out ofthe main body 472, inside of the main body 472.

The main body 472 is formed in a cylindrical shape and erected upright.The inlet pipe 474 penetrates the top of the main body 474. A lower endportion of the inlet pipe 474 is bent toward an inner wall of the mainbody 474.

The bending of the lower end portion of the inlet pipe 474 toward theinner wall of the main body 474 incurs cyclone flow of the refrigerantintroduced into the main body 472 through the inlet pipe 474. When therefrigerant spirally flows by the cyclone flow, the separation of theliquefied refrigerant from the gaseous refrigerant can be easilyrealized.

The outlet pipe 476 is also formed to penetrate the top of the main body472 and partly projected above the top of the main body 472.

A plurality of supporting legs (e.g., three or four legs) 478 are formedon a lower end of the main body 472. The supporting legs 478 support theaccumulator 470 on the base assembly 100.

The accumulator 470 is provided with a mounting unit on which at leastone component such as the super cooler 480 or other components can besupported. The mounting unit is provided on, for example, an outercircumference of the main body 470.

In more detail, the mounting unit includes a hook unit 500 by which thecomponent (e.g., the super cooler 480) can be hooked on a surface of themain body 472 of the accumulator 470 and a coupling unit 510 forallowing a lower end of the super cooler 480 to be coupled to thesurface of the main body 472 of the accumulator 470.

The hook unit 500 enables the super cooler 480 to be fixed in a statewhere the super cooler 480 is hooked on the outer circumference of themain body 472 of the accumulator 470. The hook unit 500 includes a pairof first hook members 502 formed on the outer circumference of the mainbody 472 of the accumulator 470 and a pair of second hook members 504formed on an upper end of the super cooler 480.

The first hook members 502 and the second hook members 504 areconfigured to be hooked one another. For example, the first hook members502 are respectively formed in ‘⊃’ and ‘⊂’ shapes (when viewed from atop) and the second hook members 504 are respectively formed in a ‘∩’shape (when viewed from a side).

The coupling unit 510 is for allowing the lower end of the super cooler480 to be fixed on the outer circumference of the main body 472 of theaccumulator 470 by, for example, screws. The coupling unit 510 includesfirst coupling members 512 formed on the main body 472 of theaccumulator 470 and second coupling member 514 formed on a lower end ofthe super cooler 480.

The first coupling members 512 is shaped to correspond to the secondcoupling members 514. For example, the first coupling members 512 areformed in a ‘┘’ shape (when viewed from a top), and the second couplingmember 514 are formed in a ‘└’ shape (when viewed from a top).

The first hook members 502 and the first coupling members 512 areprovided at front surfaces with respective coupling holes 520 in whichthe screws are coupled. The second hook members 504 and the secondcoupling members 514 are provided at front surfaces with respectivethrough holes 520 through which the screws pass.

The following will describe a process for mounting the super cooler 480on the accumulator 470.

First, a worker lifts the super cooler 480 and moves downward the supercooler 480 in a state where the super cooler 480 closely contacts theouter circumference of the main body 472 of the accumulator 470. Then,the front surfaces of the first hook members 502 inserted into thesecond hook members 504 and thus the upper end of the super cooler 480is hooked on the accumulator 470.

In this state, even when the worker releases the super cooler 480, thesuper cooler 480 maintains its hooked state on the main body. Therefore,the worker can do other works. That is, the worker inserts the screwsinto the through holes 522 of the second hook members 504 and couplesthe screws to the coupling holes 520, thereby completing the coupling ofthe upper end of the super cooler 480.

Next, the worker inserts the screws into the through holes 522 of thesecond coupling members 514 and then couples the screws to the couplingholes 520 of the first coupling members 512, thereby completing thecoupling of the lower end of the super cooler 480.

In order to separate the super cooler 480 from the main body 472 of theaccumulator 470, the above-described coupling process is done in areverse direction.

The mounting unit functions to guide an arrangement of electric wires aswell as to mount the component on the accumulator 470. That is, avariety of wires of the outdoor unit may be hung on the mounting unit orfixed to the mounting unit by separate coupling members. Alternatively,the wires may be supported on the mounting unit by being knotted itselfaround the mounting unit.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number ofillustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerousother modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled inthe art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles ofthis disclosure.

For example, although the super cooler 480 is coupled to the accumulator470 by the mounting unit in the above embodiment, the present disclosureis not limited to the embodiment. That is, a variety of other componentsmay be coupled to the accumulator 470 by the mounting unit.

In more detail, a dryer for removing moisture from the refrigerant, areceiver that is disposed near an outlet of the heater exchanger 450 tostore condensed, liquefied refrigerant, an oil separator for separatingoil from the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 460, or the likemay be mounted on the accumulator 470 by the mounting unit.

1. An outdoor unit for an air conditioner, the outdoor unit comprising:a base assembly defining a lower exterior of the outdoor unit andsupporting a plurality of components; and an accumulator that isinstalled above the base assembly to filter off liquefied refrigerantfrom refrigerant entering a compressor, wherein the accumulatorcomprises a mounting unit enabling at least one of other components tobe mounted on the accumulator.
 2. The outdoor unit according to claim 1,wherein the accumulator comprises a main body defining a refrigerantreceiving chamber and inlet and outlet pipes that communicate with therefrigerant receiving chamber to guide flow of the refrigerant into orout of the refrigerant receiving chamber; and the mounting unit isprovided on a surface of the main body of the accumulator.
 3. Theoutdoor unit according to claim 2, wherein the component mounted on theaccumulator by the mounting unit is a super cooler.
 4. The outdoor unitaccording to claim 3, wherein the supper cooler is a plate heatexchanger.
 5. The outdoor unit according to claim 4, wherein themounting unit comprises: a hook unit enabling an end of the suppercooler to be hooked on the surface of the accumulator; and a couplingunit enabling another end of the supper cooler to be coupled to theaccumulator.
 6. The outdoor unit according to claim 5, wherein the hookunit enables an upper end of the super cooler to be hooked and fixed onan outer circumference of the main body of the accumulator.
 7. Theoutdoor unit according to claim 6, wherein the hook unit comprises: apair of first hook members formed on the outer circumference of the mainbody of the accumulator; and a pair of second hook members formed on theupper end of the super cooler.
 8. The outdoor unit according to claim 5,wherein the coupling unit enables a lower end of the super cooler to befixed on an outer circumference of the main body of the accumulator. 9.The outdoor unit according to claim 8, wherein the coupling unitcomprises: a coupling member formed on the outer circumference of themain body of the accumulator; and a second hook member formed on thelower end of the super cooler.
 10. The outdoor unit according to claim2, wherein the component coupled to the accumulator by the mounting unitis a dryer.
 11. The outdoor unit according to claim 2, wherein thecomponent coupled to the accumulator by the mounting unit is a receiver(a refrigerant storing unit).
 12. The outdoor unit according to claim 2,wherein the component coupled to the accumulator by the mounting unit isan oil separator.
 13. The outdoor unit according to claim 2, wherein themounting unit functions to fix or support wires.